By LOSIRENE CHAND
Government is undertaking a restructure programme for the copra industry similar to that of the reforms undertaken in the sugar industry.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests, Lieutenant- Colonel Inia Seruiratu confirmed a number of initiatives been rolled out by Government under a five-year plan.
He told Sun Business that the copra industry was here to stay.
“This is something similar to what we did to sugar and that will be under taken in the next few years,” Lieutenant-Colonel Seruiratu said.
Programmes
“From Agriculture we have launched one million coconut trees year during the opening of the Asia Pacific Coconut Community meeting.
“We are monitoring that programme closely and of course we are thankful for the new interests particularly with the new market segments.
“The most important of these initiatives was the increase in Copra price and that was approved by government in September last year.”
“For the increase of the price of copra from $500 to $700 a tonne and that has seen an increase in the flow of copra from the farmers to the copra mill facility here.”
The last increase was from $400 per metric tonne to $500 per metric tonne ten years ago, in 2003.
This new increase became effective in September 1 last year.
Virgin coconut oil
He said virgin oil is the latest development and has made penetrations into the market in Korea that will be a big one for Fiji as well.
“The key message we need to seriously consider replanting and the replacement of the old trees, the senile trees that we have,” he said.
“Coconut is here to stay particularly for rural Fiji, the maritime islands, we need to do replanting and replace so that the industry is sustainable in the long term.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Inia Seruiratu.